Wildcats fall in close game against Otters
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 months, 4 weeks AGO
Wildcats player Bradley Swillie takes the ball across the court during the team’s matchup against the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters.
COURTESY PHOTO/NEVAEH CAPETILLO
SEASIDE, Calif. — The Central Washington University men’s basketball team (3-2) split its time in the West Region Crossover on after falling to the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters (2-0) on Saturday. This was following the Wildcat’s 80-68 victory over Menlo on Friday.
“We needed to do a better job of guarding the three-point line today. That was an emphasis going in, and we gave up 15 of them,” said Wildcats head coach Brandon Rinta. “I give our guys credit for fighting the whole game. We dug ourselves out of a hole and cut it to one possession. Just couldn’t get the stop we needed late.”
The Wildcats started off strong with a 7-0 run in the first half. The Otters would get on the board with a free throw, but CWU would respond with a layup from junior Jordan Clark.
Cal State would cut into the lead with a 4-2 run and then add on their score with a 6-0 run following a timeout. Wildcats player Eli Williams hit a three-point and Jalen Childs would make a layup to extend their lead, but the Otters would respond with a three pointer from Ariya Briscoe to make it a four point game.
The two teams would go back and forth through the remainder of the first half before going into halftime with the Otters taking the 40-38 lead.
In the second half the Otters would take a significant 15 point lead going up 83-71 with 4:39 left in the game. The Wildcats would rally for a 10-0 run to cut into the lead and have the score at 83-81 within the final two minutes.
The Otters would continue to apply pressure through free throws and dunks and the Wildcats would fall short ending the game 92-88 in favor of Cal State.
Bradley Swillie led the Wildcats in scoring with 29 total poins followed by Clark with 20. Clark also led the team with five assists, three steals, and a .500 shooting percentage and going 7-14 from the field.
Garrett Marrs led the team in rebounds with seven total boards followed by Clark and Williams with six rebounds each.
The Otters’ Michael Mora led the team with 29 points with both Mora and Joey Bilello scoring 8 rebounds. Jaeden Tengan led the team with 8 assists and Bilello and Ariya Brisco each had 11 blocks.
The three-point percentage was a big presence during the matchup with the Otters hitting 53.6% of its shots and CWU making 33.3%.
The Wildcats will return to Ellensburg to kick of the home opener 7 p.m. Friday against Chico State at the Nicholson Arena. The Otters will be hitting the road for their next five games beginning with a game against Jessup University at the Bill Holtz Classic on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
BOX SCORE:
CWU: 38-50: 88
CAST: 40-52: 92
ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Erickson looks back on a busy and successful four-sport high school career
WARDEN — A four-sport athlete is not someone you often come across due to the time and dedication it takes for success in one sport, but for Amaya Erickson, tackling that challenge was something she was up for in her senior season. “My family’s always been really big into sports,” said Erickson. “Both my parents have played and my siblings both play, so I guess they’re all a really great inspiration for me.”
Tigers start summer 3-1 after split with Sunnyside Christian
EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tiger Baseball Club (3-1) finished their second matchup of the season as they split a doubleheader with Sunnyside Christian Tuesday evening. “I was pleased with a lot of aspects of the doubleheader,” said Tigers Head Coach David Tempel. “The summertime is all about development and getting some experience. The good part about (Tuesday) is we were in some different situations that we haven’t seen much, so we were able to learn from those and use those to our advantage.” Sunnyside was the first on the board during game one as they put up two runs in the top of the second inning. The Tigers responded at the bottom of the third as they put up five runs to claim the lead.
Fletcher named new Eagles volleyball head coach
SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake Eagles volleyball team will be under new leadership this fall as Erin Fletcher has been selected as the new head coach. She is following the successful tenure of the previous head coach, Nikki Noble, who helped guide the team to multiple state appearances over the years. “I’m so excited,” said Fletcher. “I’ve had the opportunity to watch these girls play the last couple years as a (referee). I’m really excited to be able to step in after Coach Noble and continue on that winning and competitive spirit that they’ve had for so long and kind of take it now to the next level.” Her love for athletics came from growing up in an athletic family of basketball players, but in second grade, she became the first in her family to start playing volleyball. From there, a passion for volleyball began to grow.